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So there's a big to-do with the merger of the XFL and the USFL. For me, that's a big bust because it decreases opportunity. I've always thought that there should be an affiliation minor league system for football like there is for baseball. I've got the following four equivalent leagues. The footprints are a bit odd, but we've got at least SOME regional continuity so that SOME fans can see their minor league teams when the NFL team is out of town. And this would be a way to get rid of taxi squads while getting more chances to play real games. (And, yes, there's some fun bringing back some old names.)

Playoffs

League Champs. That's 25%, a decent playoff.

California Football League

Lodi Flames (DAL)
Sacramento Gold Miners (SF)
San Jose Raiders (LV)
Stockton Redbirds (AZ)
Fresno Horse Rustlers (DEN)
Ontario Rams (LAR)
Palm Springs Desert Hawks (SEA)
San Diego Chargers (LAC)

Central Football League

Duluth Eskimos (MIN)
Portsmouth Spartans (DET)
Racine Legion (GB)
Oorang Indians (CIN)
Dayton Triangles (CLE)
Hammond Pros (IND)
Decatur Staleys (CHI)
Rock Island Independents (KC)

Florida State Football League

Daytona Beach Manatees (CAR)
Orlando Thunder (ATL)
Pensacola Flyers (TEN)
Tallahassee Gulf Cats (JAX)
Boca Raton Templetons (HOU)
Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (TB)
Key West Porpoises (MIA)
Kissimmee Saints (NO)

Yankee Football League

Brooklyn Dodgers (NYG)
Frankford Yellow Jackets (PHI)
Providence Steamroller (NE)
New York Yankees (NYJ)
Baltimore Orioles (BAL)
Pottsville Maroons (PIT)
Rochester Jeffersons (BUF)
Washington Senators (WAS)

Eh, if you think it's worthwhile. College football is already the minor leagues for the NFL. I'd have absolutely zero interest in watching any of this dreck. Seems like a lot of unnecessary football.

GannonFan wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:09 am Eh, if you think it's worthwhile. College football is already the minor leagues for the NFL. I'd have absolutely zero interest in watching any of this dreck. Seems like a lot of unnecessary football.

There's nobody forcing you to watch, those memes showing Cowboys security forcing fans to sit in their seats to the end of the GB debacle notwithstanding. What would be nice about my construct, though, whether YOU choose to watch or not, is that it would be a FALL construct with full NFL team affiliation agreements in place, allowing NFL teams to send down guys who need more seasoning and call up promising prospects. It would also allow a team to get a draft pick some actual game time instead of having to stew on a taxi squad under Goodell's bogus 3x "roster elevation" nonsense. Plus, when a major name gets hurt, he could get a game in at the minor league level like a MiLB "rehab assignment" so he doesn't come back just to endure a game or two of rust-filled ineptitude. We see that trash all the time....

SuperHornet wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:20 pm

GannonFan wrote: ↑Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:09 am Eh, if you think it's worthwhile. College football is already the minor leagues for the NFL. I'd have absolutely zero interest in watching any of this dreck. Seems like a lot of unnecessary football.

There's nobody forcing you to watch, those memes showing Cowboys security forcing fans to sit in their seats to the end of the GB debacle notwithstanding. What would be nice about my construct, though, whether YOU choose to watch or not, is that it would be a FALL construct with full NFL team affiliation agreements in place, allowing NFL teams to send down guys who need more seasoning and call up promising prospects. It would also allow a team to get a draft pick some actual game time instead of having to stew on a taxi squad under Goodell's bogus 3x "roster elevation" nonsense. Plus, when a major name gets hurt, he could get a game in at the minor league level like a MiLB "rehab assignment" so he doesn't come back just to endure a game or two of rust-filled ineptitude. We see that trash all the time....

You could then argue that these teams would be places to stockpile younger talent and block them from getting a chance to move to a team where they could play right away. At least practice squad players can be poached by other teams right now - you would need to make this be the same way. Regardless, I just don't see enough NFL talent sitting around not playing in the NFL that we really need as extensive of a minor league system, along with an already larger college football system.